Pumping and separating mechanism



Sept. 3, 1940. Q P, GRIFFH'H 2,213,857

PUMPING AND SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 8, 1957 .2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. BY W W6 ATTORNEY.

F1a3 CR R21 .RE

Sept. 3, 1940. c. P. GRIFFITH PUMPING AND SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W P. j N TOR WW Mai/W ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 3, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFHCE PUMPING AND SEPARATING MECHANISM Clement P. Griffith, Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to S. F. Bowser & Company, Incorporated, Fort Wayne, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Application September 8, 1937, Serial No. 162,946

3 Claims. 137-68) The invention of this application relates to air through a combined check and relief valve I3 separators but more especially to separators to a meter I5 which is preferably a displacement which are used on the well known service station meter of the type disclosed in the patent to Blum, gasoline dispensing apparatus for removing air 1,977,424.

5 and vapors from the liquid being dispensed in From the meter, liquid passes through a con- 5 advance of the meter so that only solid liquid duit H, a sight glass and indicator l9 and thence will pass through the latter. Most positive disthrough the hose 2! and nozzle 23 into the purplacement meters will measure gases as well as chasers receptacle which is not shown.

liquid, hence it is necessary to remove such gases A register 25 of any suitable type such as a in advance of the meter to insure correct measvolume register or a computing register is driven 10 urement. by the meter so that the gallons dispensed or An object of the invention is to provide a comthe cost thereof may readily be ascertained. pact separating and pumping assembly. A lever mechanism 27 is connected by linkage Another object is to provide a novel by-pass 29 to a switch 3i mounted upon the motor I and valve and screening arrangement. Controls the operation thereof. 15

Yet another object of the invention is to pro- A v p p 3 i connected to the fi 1 p a Vide a novel by-pass valve. tion chamber (to be described) of the separator Still another object of the invention is to proand opens into a nozzle receptacle 35 in the housvide an arrangement whereby the pump will reing ill,

main primed for operation after a shut down. The separator assembly is mounted on abracket 20 A further object of the invention is to provide a 39 which is in turn mounted on the pump base separator which can be cheaply constructed. M in any suitable manner.

Yet another object is to provide aby-pass valve In Figures 1 and 2 the suction stub is disarrangement which will be free acting and which closed as opening into a suction chamber A in will operate with a minimum of noise. which is formed a vertically extending baffle 43. 25

Still another object is to provide a separation A wall 45 forms with a separating chamber wall chamber having baffles arranged to affordamaxi- M, a screen chamber B which opens at 49 into mum separation of air. chamber A and which is provided with a port Other objects will appear from a consideration 5! which is in communication with the suction of the specification when considered in connecchamber C of the pump 30 tion with the drawings which form a part thereof An Opening 53 is provided in the outer Wall of and in which chamber A in alignment with chamber B so that Figure 1 represents a vertical section of the a basket type screen 55 may be inserted in chamseparator, showing the various chambers and berB where it rests with its bottom edge against 36 taken on the line l-| of Figure 2. a supporting shoulder 51. A screw plug 59 closes Figure 2 is a vertical section of the separator the opening 53. taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 and showing The pump 5 comprises a rotor 66, which is. the pump, by-pass valve and other parts of the driven by the motor and belt, and a plurality of apparatus blades 63 movable edgewise in slots in the rotor.

Figure 3 is a partial elevation showing the Said blades have rolls 65 journalled thereon at 40 arrangement of the parts of the separator as each end, which ride in grooves fi'l. The grooves they appear when viewed from line 33 of Figare eccentric with respect to the rotor, so that the ure 2. blades will move in and out of the latter, but

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the arrangewill remain in contact with the bore 69 so that ment of the separator assembly in a dispensin liquid will be taken into chamber C and forced 45 apparatus, into chamber D on the discharge side of the Referring to the general assembly shown in pump under pressure. Figure 4, a suction stub is connected to an un- As the liquid leaves the Chamber D, it may derground reservoir by a pipe not shown and follow one of two channels. It may pass through formsaconduit which leads to the interior of the the orifice M, which opens into the space 13 50 separator body 3. The pump 5 which is driven in the primary separating chamber E or, under by an electric motor I through a belt 9 lifts the Certain Conditions, it ay e ter the orifice l5 liquid from the reservoir and discharges it into nd return to the suction chamber A.

the separating chamber of the separator, later If we assume that the first mentioned path 58 to be described, and forces it through conduit H is followed, the liquid will flow over bafile l! into as a result, the velocity of the liquid will be greatly reduced.

Further, the stream of liquid passing from;

space I3 to the discharge pipe II will break or be reversed over baffle TI.

A clean out opening 8! is provided in chamber E and provided with a plug 83.

A vent opening 85 is provided in the upper Wall of chamber E substantially above the space 73. This opening must be sufliciently large to discharge all of the gas which may be pumped intochamber E at substantially the same rate that it enters. Ii this'were not the case, the chamber E would eventually fill with gases and some of them would reach the meter.

On the other hand the opening must not be so large that it will pass an excess amount of liquid since this wouldunduly reduce efiiciency of the system and would lower the pressure applied to the meter. Usually the orifice is made about three thirty-seconds inch E g" ameter in separators used for dispensing apparatus of the kind here disclosed. Should the separator be used in other apparatus, however,- the opening would have to be larger or smaller, depending in part on the amount of gases pumped, the pump pressure, the rate of fiow of liquid and other consideration.

The mixture of liquid and gases passing from the restricted orifice 85 is diverted by a hollowed or dished cap 8? through an opening 89 and into the secondary or final separation chamber F,

which is connected to the suction chamber A through a valve port 9|.

A pair of brackets 93 support, by means of a pivot pin 55, a U-shaped lever 9'! which has a long arm 99 and a short arm Nil.

is perforated to pivotally receive the bent-over end of a valve rod Hi3 which depends downwardly into chamber F and support a valve I65 adjacent the port 9|.

The long arm 99 is bent back upon itself to form a clevis which supports a pivot pin It! upon which is mounted a stem I09 of a float lII. angle piece H3 is attached to the float adjacent the valve rod 263 and is perforated to receive the same as shown in Figure- 1.

quickly be stalled unless some provision were made to relieve the pressure in chamber E.

It is for this reason that the channel through port 15 is provided.

Since the port '55 is in communication with the suction chamber A, the pump would tend to disi charge liquid from chamber 1) to chamber A '1 through port '2'5 and to pump it from chamber A,

through E and into the suction chamber of the pump to again begin its cycle.

However, the port 55 is closed by a poppet type .valvewhich opens into chamber A. This valve has a hub HEB provided with wing guides E2! to maintain it in coaxial relation with the port, with a portion 523 provided with an axial face I25 ;against which a valve element i2! is held by means of a nut threaded on to a portion i3I of .the hub. A shoulder which serves as a spring The element I9 is provided to strengthen the walls of chamber E.

The arm IBI seat is formed by the junction of this portion I3l and the spring guide I33. The port 75 is provided with a valve seat I35 against which the valve element I2! is urged by spring I37.

An internally threaded opening I39 in boss I 4| leads from chamber A to the outside of the separator body and the opening is plugged by a combined plug and spring seat M3 which has a spring guide l i'I formed thereon. Washers may be placed against the shoulder 65 to adjust the tension of the spring M1. The tension of the spring, of course, controls the pressure in the chamber D.

Bosses M9 and projecting lugs I5! provide supports for the motor on the separator 3. Preferably, some provision is made as by providing elongated holes in the feet of the motor to per- 1 mit a slight adjustment of the motor on said supports to vary the distance between centers of the motor shaft and pump shaft to adjust the tension of the belt 9.

Operation When pump 5 is started by the linkage 2?, 29, SI in Figure 4, liquid will be raised from underground reservoir by the suction of the pump 'in chamber E, over the bafile Ti and out through pipe I l on its way to the meter and the other elements in the discharge system.

Since the volume of chamber E is much greater than the chambers A to D, inclusive, a substantial reduction in velocity of the stream of liquid will result when it enters chamber E. Further in passing from port II to conduit I i, the flow of liquid breaks or is reversed over baffle I? and this action assists the separation of the gases from the liquid.

The gases which collect in the upper part of chamberE will contain some entrained liquid and the stream of fluid passing through the orifice 85 will therefore be a mixture of gases and liquid. This stream suffers a reversal of direction and a reduction of pressure from pump pressure, which may be from to 20 pounds per square inch above atmosphere, to atmospheric pressure. Also the cross-sectional area of the chamber is great as compared to that of the stream, hence a considerable reduction of velocity is experienced. All

of these factors combine to promote the final separation of gases and liquid in chamber F.

Any separated gases pass out the vent 33 to the nozzle receptacle and thence to atmosphere.

Under bad conditions some liquid may even be carried up into the vent tube and there be separated from the gas or be passed out to atmosphere.

The liquid which reaches chamber F accumulates until the rising liquid level lifts the float to rotate the lever 91 about its pivot 95 and thus lift the valve I 65 to open port 9 l Since the pressure in chamber A is sub-atmospheric, liquid will float and its linkage and to insure proper operation of the same, the guide member H3 is provided to hold the float in its upright position.

To prevent the valve 105 from being moved out of its seat 92, Walls 90 are provided which diverge from the port HI and which extend sufficiently above the port 9| to prevent the escape of the valve in any position between the upper and lower limits of its travel as established by the seat 92. and the stop lug I I5.

If the valve in nozzle 23 is closed to any appreciable extent or entirely, the pressure in chamber D will build up to such an extent that the chamber A being under sub-atmospheric pressure, the spring I31 will be overcome and valve 52'! will leave its seat. Thus part or all of the out-put of the pump will be circulated through chambers A, B, C, pump and chamber D until the nozzle valve is again opened or the pump is shut down.

The valve is provided with large guide wings and has no positive connection with any other element except the wings. Thus any tendency of the valve to bind is avoided and chattering of the valve, together with its accompanying noise, will be substantially reduced.

Both the valve I21 and the screen basket are readily accessible from outside of the unit so that they may readily be adjusted, repaired or replaced.

Applicant has disclosed a preferred form, of his invention, but it is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the invention as defined by the claims.

What applicant considers to be new and desires to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a separator unit, a separating chamber,

means for draining said chamber comprising a valve seat and a valve mounted for lateral and axial motion, means for restricting the lateral motion of said valve and means for limiting the axial motion of said valve to maintain it within the zone of action of said restricting means, said restricting means being formed to guide said valve into position on its seat, a float, means for connecting said float to operate said valve, guide means forming another connection between said float and said valve, so constructed and arranged that lateral movement of said float will be restricted by said first mentioned motion restricting means.

2. In a separating device a separating chamber comprising a bowl, a port at the bottom of said bowl for draining it, a lever mounted at the top of said bowl, a valve depending from said lever and controllng said port, a float depending from said lever, means for preventing undue lateral motion of said valve, and means for loosely connecting said float to be guided by said valve, said connecting means being constructed and arranged to restrain relative lateral movement but to permit relative vertical movement of said float V and said valve.

3. In a liquid and gas separating unit, means forming a separating chamber, means, including a valve seat, forming a liquid drain for said chamber, a valve adapted to coact with said seat, a float, means connecting said valve for operation by said float including means for supporting said valve and float for lateral motion, motion restricting means for limiting the lateral movement of said valve and its supporting means, and guide means connecting said float and valve supporting means, constructed and arranged to limit the lateral motion of said float.

CLEMENT P. GRIFFITH. 

